worship | ˈwərSHəp | noun the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity: the worship of God | ancestor worship. • the acts or rites that make up a formal expression of reverence for a deity; a religious ceremony or ceremonies: the church was opened for public worship. • adoration or devotion comparable to religious homage, shown toward a person or principle: our society’s worship of teenagers. • archaic honor given to someone in recognition of their merit. • [as title] (His/Your Worship) chiefly British used in addressing or referring to an important or high-ranking person, especially a magistrate or mayor: we were soon joined by His Worship the Mayor.
(picture taken by me at a Bethel Conference)
Prophetic Worship: Do you hear what I hear?
I love one on one conversations with people. I like to go deep with people and find out who they really are. I think I prefer it to a larger group setting because I have the opportunity to really get to know someone. I am often told by those I meet that I am a good listener. When you listen people open up to you. Sometimes they are often surprised by how much they have shared with me. One of the reasons that happens is because I LISTEN (it is not the only reason but a main one.) This may sound elementary but it is not. Many people when they engage in conversation do not hear you. They are just waiting for a break so they can then interject what they have been holding back for the last 3 minutes while they watched your mouth move. Or they are easily distracted with their surroundings and catch a few things here and there.
Learning to hear Holy Spirit is much the same. He is a person. He wants to speak to you but if you do not spend time listening you cannot repeat in worship what heaven is singing all around you. You have to make room when you are not on the platform learning to hear His voice. When I am worshipping corporately I am always listening. I will often get quiet even on the platform. If I am not leading then I am listening. He needs room. You have to give Holy Spirit space in your worship set. Allow him to be in charge. If you want to enter the supernatural realm in worship you can’t keep doing the same things you have always done. Singing what you know to sing. You may have to wait on Holy Spirit to speak. People get uncomfortable with silence and feel like they need to fill it. Sometimes the waiting is the very thing the Holy Spirit is directing you to do. There have been many times in the waiting that a powerful declaration has come forth and many times not from me. When I am leading I am waiting for that sound to come from someone else on the team. It could be a singer or a musician. These spontaneous powerful moments can't happen if you are uncomfortable with waiting on the Lord.
I remember when I first started leading worship back in Seattle at what was then known as The City Church. I had always been involved in music. Sang my entire life in musical productions, worship teams, and solo performances. I was use to being on stage however, the way this church worshiped was foreign to me. The worship was not like worship I was used to, where you knew exactly how many times you were going to sing the verse and chorus. Their worship was spontaneous. It lasted more then twenty minutes before the service and they would sometimes stop and exhort the congregation.
One day I went to my pastor and I told him the Lord has been speaking to me about leading worship. He said fine and suggested I start out leading worship on a Wednesday night service. The church was still small at the time maybe about 500 to 800 people. I remember the first time I did lead worship I probably never opened my eyes the entire time and couldn’t even look at the congregation. I do remember though Holy Spirit from the start was my teacher. He would give me step by step instruction on what to do. He would tell me to repeat a chorus or move on to the next song. (He still does today) I remember how heavily I relied on His voice.
How do spontaneous prophetic songs come? Listening, waiting, and making room. I am just repeating what Holy Spirit is communicating to me: the sounds of heaven. In the beginning the prophetic songs would just be a few words repeated over and over. Now in my worship the prophetic songs have choruses and verses just like a written song. Now the songs mixed with intercession declare on the earth the breakthrough that is needed at that precise moment.
I have always had a close relationship with Holy Spirit my entire Christian life. When I first encountered Jesus I heard Holy Spirit’s voice. I have cultivated and allowed that relationship to grow. It is precious to me. It is necessary if you want to be a prophetic worship leader or a prophetic person. One day a prophet came to The City Church and told me that God created me to be an original. He said do not be a copy of someone else. How do you become an original? By being dependent on Holy Spirit. There has to be a level of dependency on something other than my musical gift otherwise it’s just another great performance. I realized God wanted me to be a pattern for others to follow. A Forerunner. Holy Spirit guided me through every worship set then and now.
I have always had a close relationship with Holy Spirit my entire Christian life. When I first encountered Jesus I heard Holy Spirit’s voice. I have cultivated and allowed that relationship to grow. It is precious to me. It is necessary if you want to be a prophetic worship leader or a prophetic person. One day a prophet came to The City Church and told me that God created me to be an original. He said do not be a copy of someone else. How do you become an original? By being dependent on Holy Spirit. There has to be a level of dependency on something other than my musical gift otherwise it’s just another great performance. I realized God wanted me to be a pattern for others to follow. A Forerunner. Holy Spirit guided me through every worship set then and now.
“Who is this coming up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved?”
Song of Solomon 8:5
Song of Solomon 8:5
I love that picture of our relationship with the Lord. Always leaning. Always learning. Never proud. Always dependent. Always thankful. Do not take the privilege of leading people in worship for granted. Cherish it.
For some of you reading this who are worship leaders in your church, the twenty minute worship set you do every Sunday morning is not where you are going to be able develop your prophetic gift. If it is something you long for then you will need to find another outlet to develop that gift in you. Find a prayer group or start a small group where you have the time to listen and follow Holy Spirit. I was blessed because I had a Pastor who valued the gift in me and allowed me to make mistakes and grow and develop in the area of worship. For that I am forever grateful.
Keep flourishing.
For some of you reading this who are worship leaders in your church, the twenty minute worship set you do every Sunday morning is not where you are going to be able develop your prophetic gift. If it is something you long for then you will need to find another outlet to develop that gift in you. Find a prayer group or start a small group where you have the time to listen and follow Holy Spirit. I was blessed because I had a Pastor who valued the gift in me and allowed me to make mistakes and grow and develop in the area of worship. For that I am forever grateful.
Keep flourishing.
